Tag: Review

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Hot on the heels of her breakthrough jazz EP, Smoky Nights, internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Jennifer Saran is revving up holiday spirits with a smashing new single, “(Don’t Let It Be) a Sad Ol’ Christmas,” which was released December 6 on Tarpan Records.

The track is yet another winning collaboration between Saran and superstar producer Narada Michael Walden (Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey). As Saran points out, she and Walden had strikingly similar ideas concerning the title: “We had just finished Smoky Nights, which had a fair share of melancholy tunes, so when I was talking to Narada about doing a Christmas song, I said, ‘I don’t want anything sad, not this year.’

“And then Narada recalled how his grandmother, whenever something went wrong, used to say, ‘It’s going to be a sad ol’ Christmas.’ The two of us laughed and said, ‘Well, that’s it then. We’re not going to have a sad ol’ Christmas.’ We had our title.”

Musically, “(Don’t Let It Be) a Sad Ol’ Christmas” is a masterstroke – it’s kitschy, tongue-in-cheek jazz set in a smoke-filled nightspot, full of swanky horn pizzazz and the familiar jingle-jangle that befits any holiday standard. Walden, who recorded the track at his own Tarpan Studios, tackles the majority of the instrumentation, but he knows when to let one of his key players loose – Tammy Hall’s impeccable twinkling of the ivories is a standout moment that elicits a Saran shout-out: “On piano, Miss Tammy Hall!”

Saran’s performance is bravura stuff. Singing in a rich and radiant style that at first recalls Rosemary Clooney, she draws listeners in: “Now we all wanna celebrate/ though we can’t always get a break/ but we all have to try and make – Christmas a Thing.” At the chorus, the orchestra swells and Saran opens her voice up full-throttle with her mission statement: “No more sighin’/ no more cryin’/ get hap-py/ don’t let it be a sad ‘ol Christmas.” Backed by the ace background vocals of Cornell CC Carter, Naté Soulsanger, Katie Walden and Kristie Isaacson, Saran whips up a sassy mood throughout, peppering the final chorus with playful ad-libs like “Candy canes!” and “Presents!”

“I had a great time recording the song with Narada,” Saran enthuses. “Our method of collaboration is so effortless much of the time. He had the bones of the melody, and I went off and wrote the lyrics. When it came time to do my vocals, I just put myself in the Christmas spirit and we had fun with it. I hope that will translate to listeners.”

“(Don’t Let It Be) a Sad Ol’ Christmas” isn’t Saran’s first trip down holiday lane. In 2015 she turned critics’ heads with Merry Christmas, You Are Loved, also produced by Walden, and two years later she re-teamed with the veteran hitmaker for Soulful Christmas, a delightful set of gems which saw her joined by The Temptations on the single, “Christmas Lover.”

“As I say in the new song, I really love making Christmas a ‘thing,’” Saran says. “I’ve always gone overboard during the holidays with my kids – there’s always lots of presents under the tree. And I get so much joy from singing Christmas songs. It’s important to do whatever you can to make people happy and bring them into the spirit of this time of year.”

The recent success of her Smoky Nights EP has Saran’s spirits on high. Rocktimes cited its “high elegance” and said that “one is enveloped by the atmosphere” while comparing Saran to the likes of Rosemary Clooney, Sarah Vaughan, and Frank Sinatra. “I’ve been so knocked out by the reviews I’ve been receiving,” Saran says. “I’m especially pleased with how European audiences and critics have responded. They take their jazz very seriously, and they can be kind of picky, so to see them accepting what I’m doing has been a real thrill.”

In 2020, Saran is planning to expand Smoky Nights to a full album, but before then she’ll release two new songs, “Rescue My Heart” and “Almost Five O’Clock.” “I’m having the best time, and I think my new music is the best I’ve ever done,” she says. “I’m really looking forward to a year of fun and surprises.” She laughs and adds, “But before then, let’s make Christmas a ‘thing’!”

“(Don’t Let It Be) a Sad Ol’ Christmas” is available now on all digital platforms.

Review by Gary Hill
I am a big fan of reggae. Indubious does a great brand of reggae, too. Their sound is well rooted in traditional elements. The thing is, they bring in some hints of progressive and space rock at the same time. The combination is unique and strong. This is a great set.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2019 Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Here We Come
The musical arrangement early on this number is sparse and tentative. The vocals bring some killer reggae, though. As it continues this gets more intense. It is a vocal dominated piece, though. It’s a tasty introduction to the set. It’s fairly short at less than two minutes of music.

Fabric of Creation
The reggae meets rock groove on this is just so cool. There is a real progressive rock edge to it in a lot of ways. This has such a great vibe to it. It has some dropped down moments, but overall is in an energetic reggae mode.

Do the Best You Can
The fast paced vocals on this just ooze cool. The track is another killer reggae piece that works well.

Years
The vibe on this is a bit slower. It’s more of a trippy kind of number. As much as I’ve enjoyed the stuff that has come before this, in some ways the magic is really elevated here. It’s still full on reggae, but there is a bit of a space rock element in place, too.

Strong End
There is a bit more of an old-school, vintage reggae sound to this number. I love the vocal groove mid-track in particular. That said, the whole piece is classy. It lends a bit mellower edge to the proceedings.

One by One (feat. The Elovaters)
I dig this energized reggae piece. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a nice blending of modern and old-school sounds.

Here We Go
This is just a little over half-a-minute long. It’s a cool little reggae groove with some space elements at play.

Arrow
The bits of keyboard texture on this lend something closer to prog rock at times. This has a great reggae groove, too. It’s another with hints of space rock in the mix.

Frequent See
The groove on this is so classic. The sound has a real vintage reggae element at the backdrop, but the keyboard jamming over the top brings something more modern. The vocal performance is among the strongest of the set. This is one of my favorite tunes here, really. It just has such a great groove and vibe to it.

Shuffle the Deck
More of an organic reggae sound is on the menu here. This is a bit playful and traditional in terms of arrangement and delivery.

Good Ol’ Days (feat. Satsang)
There is a bit of a folk rock element at play here in some ways. Sure, it still has some definite reggae leanings, but this is not really what I would call pure reggae. It has a slower, down-home kind of feeling to it. The vocal dominated movement is so cool with multiple layers working together so well.

Hocus Focus
With a definite progressive rock edge in the mix, this reggae groove is a lot of fun.

Blessings Run
There is some great energy and reggae groove built into this cut.

Here We Are
This is a short piece that does a great job of bringing it all back around as a bookended set.

For more information about BELEAF or upcoming tour dates, please visit the INDUBIOUS website and social media pages via: www.indubiousmusic.com

LOS ANGELES – Hot on the heels of her breakthrough jazz EP, Smoky Nights, internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Jennifer Saran is revving up holiday spirits with a smashing new single, “(Don’t Let It Be) a Sad Ol’ Christmas,” to be released December 6 on Tarpan Records.

The track is yet another winning collaboration between Saran and superstar producer Narada Michael Walden (Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey). As Saran points out, she and Walden had strikingly similar ideas concerning the title: “We had just finished Smoky Nights, which had a fair share of melancholy tunes, so when I was talking to Narada about doing a Christmas song, I said, ‘I don’t want anything sad, not this year.’

“And then Narada recalled how his grandmother, whenever something went wrong, used to say, ‘It’s going to be a sad ol’ Christmas.’ The two of us laughed and said, ‘Well, that’s it then. We’re not going to have a sad ol’ Christmas.’ We had our title.”

Musically, “(Don’t Let It Be) a Sad Ol’ Christmas” is a masterstroke – it’s kitschy, tongue-in-cheek jazz set in a smoke-filled nightspot, full of swanky horn pizzazz and the familiar jingle-jangle that befits any holiday standard. Walden, who recorded the track at his own Tarpan Studios, tackles the majority of the instrumentation, but he knows when to let one of his key players loose – Tammy Hall’s impeccable twinkling of the ivories is a standout moment that elicits a Saran shout-out: “On piano, Miss Tammy Hall!”

Saran’s performance is bravura stuff. Singing in a rich and radiant style that at first recalls Rosemary Clooney, she draws listeners in: “Now we all wanna celebrate/ though we can’t always get a break/ but we all have to try and make – Christmas a Thing.” At the chorus, the orchestra swells and Saran opens her voice up full-throttle with her mission statement: “No more sighin’/ no more cryin’/ get hap-py/ don’t let it be a sad ‘ol Christmas.” Backed by the ace background vocals of Cornell CC Carter, Naté Soulsanger, Katie Walden and Kristie Isaacson, Saran whips up a sassy mood throughout, peppering the final chorus with playful ad-libs like “Candy canes!” and “Presents!”

“I had a great time recording the song with Narada,” Saran enthuses. “Our method of collaboration is so effortless much of the time. He had the bones of the melody, and I went off and wrote the lyrics. When it came time to do my vocals, I just put myself in the Christmas spirit and we had fun with it. I hope that will translate to listeners.”

“(Don’t Let It Be) a Sad Ol’ Christmas” isn’t Saran’s first trip down holiday lane. In 2015 she turned critics’ heads with Merry Christmas, You Are Loved, also produced by Walden, and two years later she re-teamed with the veteran hitmaker for Souful Christmas, a delightful set of gems which saw her joined by The Temptations on the single,“Christmas Lover.”

“As I say in the new song, I really love making Christmas a ‘thing,’” Saran says. “I’ve always gone overboard during the holidays with my kids – there’s always lots of presents under the tree. And I get so much joy from singing Christmas songs. It’s important to do whatever you can to make people happy and bring them into the spirit of this time of year.”

The recent success of her Smoky Nights EP has Saran’s spirits on high. Rocktimes cited its “high elegance” and said that “one is enveloped by the atmosphere” while comparing Saran to the likes of Rosemary Clooney, Sarah Vaughan and Frank Sinatra. “I’ve been so knocked out by the reviews I’ve been receiving,” Saran says. “I’m especially pleased at how European audiences and critics have responded. They take their jazz very seriously, and they can be kind of picky, so to see them accepting what I’m doing has been a real thrill.”

In 2020, Saran is planning to expand Smoky Nights to a full album, but before then she’ll release two new songs, “Rescue My Heart” and “Almost Five O’Clock.” “I’m having the best time, and I think my new music is the best I’ve ever done,” she says. “I’m really looking forward to a year of fun and surprises.” She laughs and adds, “But before then, let’s make Christmas a ‘thing’!”

“(Don’t Let It Be) a Sad Ol’ Christmas” will be available on December 6 on all digital platforms.